Towel bar



Patented Oct. 29, 1929 'EUsrAdHIUs w. KOERING, OIE VINELAND, NEW 'ERsiiY TOWEL BAR I Application filed August 24, 1926. 'Serial No. 131,170.

This invention relates to a towel bar or similar object andmore particularly to such a bar composed of glass or other vitreous material and a novel meansfor supporting the same from a wall or other surface,

- It has been the common practice heretofore, in towel barconstruction to employ all metal construction or where such materials as glass, porcelain or wood are used, toemploy a straight rod of the requiredlengthand supportthe sameby brackets extending outwardly from the wall at right angles to the bar. Metal bars are objectionable since the metal readily tarnishes in contact with damp towels, etc., and such bars are not acceptable in modern home construction. The vitreous 0r enameled wooden bars are more substantial in-appearance but it is difficult to firmly secure such bars in the outwardly extending brackets so that they do not rapidly loosen therein and thus become a source of annoyance, due to rattling, entrance of dirt into the bracket openingadj acent the ends of the bar and in the case of metal brackets, corrosion of the metal renders'them unsightly.

The trend of present dayconstructionfor bath rooms, lavatories, kitchens, etc, is in the employment of :tiled walls with built-in .fixture s of a nature in keeping with the tile I construction. In a I copen'ding application, Serial No. 754,705, filed Dec. 9, 1924, entitled Towel bar, I have disclosed anovel'towel' bar composed of glass, porcelain or other vitreous, noncorrodible and easily cleaned material, having a I substantial portion adjacent each end bent inwardly at right angles to the body portion to offset the bar from the wall, each of the'inwa-rdly turned ends being supported by a bracket of metal or othersuitable material secured to the wall by screws or equivalent fastening means. Such form of bar has found favor in construction in which tile is not utilized but in the form shown in the aforesaid application is not well adapted for tiled-wall construction.

One of the objects of the present invention is therefore, to provide an improved vitreous bar and supporting means therefor, which is suitable for use in tile construction and which may be applied either to existing construction of cementing the bar in the tile, ametal'reorincorporated in the wall at the time it is made. i I

Another object is to provide atowel-bar which is composed entirely of'vitreous material 'having' no metal partsand in which'the. usual bracket posts are dispensed with.

Another object is to provide a towel bar which is simplein construction, pleasing in appearance and which is in keeping with'the hlghest class of present day bath room construction. i r

Other objects andadvantages will hereinafter appear. I I I In accordance with the present invention I provide a bar of" glass or other ,:,vitreous material having its ends bentinwardly and secured directly to the wall by any suitable means as by cement. A ring flan eofmaterial similarto the bar is employe about'the ends of the barjwhere they enter the wall for the purpose of enhancing the appearanceof the bar and to protect the cement frommoisture. A shoulder, flange or other form of abutment is formed on each end of the bar for engagement against the ring flange to pre- I? I ventv displacement ofthe ring flange along thebar and to close the opening inthe ring flange against entranceof dirt and water.

A modified construction contemplatesthe use of a special tile having a recess in which" the end of the bar-is cemented. The ring flange may be formed separately from thetile I or integral 5 therewith. If formed integral therewith, the rod or bar does not need to be provided with the shoulder or abutmentfalthough I prefer to employ the same both for the sake of appearance and to completely close the opening in the ring flange; Instead taining member may be used.

In order that the invention may be more fully understood referencewill be had to the accompanying d'rawing'in which,

Fig.v 1 is an elevation partly in section of the towel bar, embodying myinvention, applied toawall. v

Fig. 2 is a modified arrangement of the supporting means employing aspecialiform, of tile. m

Fig. 3 is a still further modification utilizingza special form of tile, and

ig. 4 is another modification showing in section the manner of securing the bar in the wall and covering the wall connection.

The embodiment of the invention shown in Figure l, comprises a bar l-of glass or other vitreous material, having inwardly turned ends 2 and 3 secured in the wall 4. The wall 4 is shown as of tile construction and consists of tiles 5 cemented to plaster '6. A recess 7 in the wall is provided for the ends 8 of the-bar in which they are rigidly secured, as by cement 9. To assist in bonding the bar to the cement, the ends 8 may beroughened-in any desired manner, as bysand blasting, acid etching, etc., or by forming corrugations, as shown in F-i ure- 1, or other form of irregularities therein.

Inorder to protect the cement 9 from dirt and water and to cover the cemented joint fro'msighaa ring flange 10 ofglass ortile having an opening 10' may be provided therefor. The ring flange is held tightly against the tiley5 by an abutment on the bar which may take the shape of an annular bead'll. The bead 11 also closes theopening 10 in the ring flange and prevents the entrance of dirt and water therein.

In-Figure 2 I have shown the barsecured directly to the tile 12 alone. In this form the ring flange 13 is formed integral with the tile. In place of cementing the bar in the tile I'have shown a metal retaining member-14 in the form of athin concave annulushaving its inner periphery formed with a, plurality of spring fingers15 engaging ina circumferential groove 16 in the end of the glass bar. The inner portion of the retaining discis reversely bent so as to project the fingers 15 normallyin an inwardly and axial direction'so that rigidity'is imparted thereto both in an axial and radial direction and to ermit the disc to be snapped over the end 0 the glass bar-and to firmly grip the same in a resilient manner. Theouter edge of the retaining disc engages in a recess 16 in the-back side of the tile so as to exert a longitudinal force on the bar to restrain it from longitudinal movement in the tile and maintain the bead 11 in contact with the faceof the tile. 7 V

Figure 3 shows anotherformof tile-provided with a recess 17 in which the roughened end of the bar is cemented. In this form of tile the riiig flange 13 is also shown integral with the tile but could equally well be formed as a separat'e'p'art. 7

i I have shown in Figure 4 another modification which is similar to Figure 1 in that it does not employ a specially formed tile. In this figure the vitreous ring'flange is replaced by a metal ring flange 18 which may be plated with-nickel or ehromium to resist corrosion or it may beenameled'to match the tile. "The end of the bar is here shown with ridges or and lg ports "in a rigidmanner.

lugs thereon to assist in retaining the bar in the cement.

WVhile the bar has been illustrated in each instance as applied to a tiled wall construction it is to be understood that it is not so limited but may be employed in other connections. t

It will benoted-that a construction has been provided in which no metal need be employed which the vitreous bar may be sup- The ring flange completely closes the cement joint, thus pro- 'tecting it and hiding it from view and the bead- 11 completely closes the opening in the ring flange, preventing entrance of dirt and moisture into the interior of the assembly. The rod is: thus rendered extremely easyi to clean and no place is provided fOI thB COIlEOa tion of dirt.

It is very common in tile construction to em-. ploy colored tiles and where such colored tiles are used it is the customary. practice to pro-, vide white tile fixtures, due. to the inconvenience and expense of manufacturing a. com-. plete set'of fixtures in each color and shade. WVhen so employed the white fixtures: arevery conspicuous and in many instances :mar the appearance of the room. The. present bar, however, may be constructed offglass which due to its transparent and translucent nature, transmitsand reflects the color of 'theadjoining tile,-blending therewith and presentinga harmonious appearance; with whatever color of tileit is used. I I

Obviously, other modifications ofthe-present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art and I do not desire to be limitedto the precise construction shownand .described herein. 1

l/Vhat I claim is: I 1.: A support for towels andlsimilar obj'ects comprising a bar of vitreous materialhaving its ends arranged at an angle to, thebody portion and embedded in a 'wall =sur=face,.an annular member surrounding ieachmof thexends of said bar and disposed adjacent said wall surface and a shoulderom said barengaging said annular: member-to maintain: saidrmemher in contact-with said-wall surface. v

2. A support fortowelsland similar objects comprising 1 abar of -vitreo us1materialhaving its ends arranged at an'angle :to thebody portion and embeddedhin a 'wall -surfaca i a separate annular memberwsurrounding each of the ends of said bari and m'eans on saidbar for maintaining said member-adjacent said wall surface.

3. I The combination with a tileidwvtillrhav- 'ing a recess therein, of. a vitreousibar securely maintaining said ring flange. in contact'with said tiled wall.

ies

4. Thecombinationiwitha tiled wall 1m;

ing a recess therein, of a vitreous rod securely cemented in said recess, a separate ring flange about said rod covering said recess and an annular shoulder on saidrod for maintaining said ring flange in contact with said tiled wall.

5. A towel bar for tiled wall construction comprising a rod or bar of vitreous material having its ends bent at an angle to the body portion, a tile having a recess therein for the reception of an end of the bar, a member loosely surrounding said bar and abutting against said tile to close said recess means within the recess for securing the bar' therein and means on said bar for maintaining said member in contactwith the tile.

6. A towel bar comprising a glass bar having its ends bent normal to thebody portion and embedded in a wall surface and secured therein by cement, said embedded end being roughened to retain the same in said cement, means disposed about the bar adjacent the wall covering said cement and a member on said bar engaging said means to retain the same in contact with the wall surface.

7 A towel bar comprising a glass bar having its ends bent normal to the body portion a and embedded in a wall surface and secured therein by cement, protuberance's on said em- I bedded end to retain the same in said cement,

a vitreous ring flange about the bar adjacent the wall for covering said cement and an enlargement on said bar abutting against and entirely closing the opening in said ring flange. v

' In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 3rd day of August,

EUSTACHIUS W. KOERING. 

